Abstract

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 establishes an end-to-end system reference architecture (RA) for Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart onshore aquaculture (SONA) and specifies general requirements and technical requirements for the smart onshore aquaculture systems and their operations and management.

Status
Published
Publication Date
05-Nov-2026
Current Stage
PPUB - Publication issued
Start Date
06-Nov-2026
Completion Date
01-Dec-2026

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ISO/IEC 30199:2026 - Internet of Things (IoT) - Smart onshore aquaculture - General and technical requirements

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ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is an International Standard published by IEC in the ISO/IEC series. It covers Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart onshore aquaculture (SONA) and specifies an end-to-end system reference architecture plus general and technical requirements for smart onshore aquaculture systems and their operation and management. It is written for people who design, run, automate, secure, or buy systems for aquafarms and their connected services.

What does ISO/IEC 30199:2026 specify?

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 specifies an end-to-end reference architecture for IoT-based smart onshore aquaculture and sets out the general and technical requirements that support its operation and management. Clause 1 frames the document around the full aquaculture chain, from breeding and fry release through rearing, harvesting, by-product recycling, productization processing, marketing, sales, logistics, supply chain, and delivery to end-users and consumers.

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is organized around a high-level architecture in clause 5 and requirements in clause 6. Clause 5 breaks the system into domains and interfaces, while clause 6 groups the requirements into system-level, device and equipment-level, and application-level topics.

The architecture covers the core IoT domains used in the document: user domain, physical entity domain, sensing and controlling domain, application and service domain, operations and management domain, and resource access and interchange domain. ISO/IEC 30199:2026 also adds an external domain for sales, logistics, supply chain, suppliers, buyers, and other outside parties.

What are the key requirements of ISO/IEC 30199:2026?

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 requires the smart onshore aquaculture system to support monitored, controlled, and managed operations across the full aquafarm lifecycle. The most important requirements are in clause 5 for the architecture and clause 6 for technical performance.

End-to-end architecture and operational visibility

Clause 5.1 and 5.2 describe a system that can support situation awareness across the aquafarm, not just isolated sensing or control points. The architecture uses user equipment, user interfaces, a situation-awareness monitoring dashboard, and supporting software to present warnings, notifications, and control actions to authorized operations and management users. In practice, this means the document expects the farm to be run as a connected system, with human oversight where needed and automation where appropriate.

Clause 5.2 also notes that full automation may not be needed for every aquafarm, so the architecture can be adapted to farm size and operating model. That matters because a small family-run site and a larger industrial operation will not need the same level of automation.

Secure interfaces and controlled information flow

Clause 5.3 says all interfaces in the aquaculture system shall use secure data and information transmission protocols. The standard highlights UD-SCD (IF12) and SCD-OMD (IF8) as critical cyberattack surfaces that need protection against cyber threats. In practice, this means integrators and operators need to treat sensor, control, and operations links as security-sensitive, not just as ordinary data links.

Clause 5.3 also separates what external users can and cannot access. Sales information stays under organizational control, and external users do not get access to user-domain assets such as user equipment and user interfaces. That is important for privacy, customer data protection, and protection of proprietary commercial information.

Interface behavior between domains

Clause 5.3 defines the information flow between domains. Some interfaces support automated or manual control, including reconfiguration, firmware updates, parameter resets, monitoring, and emergency actions. Others carry warnings, operational status, maintenance alarms, and application requests.

In practice, this gives designers a clear picture of which systems need to exchange data, what kind of data is exchanged, and where command-and-control or reporting responsibilities sit. The document also allows direct communication from the physical entity domain to the user domain in defined situations, such as emergency threshold conditions.

General system requirements in clause 6.1

Clause 6.1 groups the system-level requirements into data acquisition, data transmission, data processing, data management, service publishing, control execution, information sharing, device management, user management, security, real-time behavior, robustness, scalability, and compliance with regulations. These topics describe the basic capabilities a smart aquaculture platform must have to function as an operational system.

In practice, this means the platform is expected to collect data, move it reliably, process it into useful information, expose services, execute control actions, and keep the system manageable as the farm grows. The security and real-time items matter because aquaculture decisions can depend on timely sensor readings and fast response to abnormal conditions.

Device and equipment requirements in clause 6.2

Clause 6.2 sets requirements for smart devices and equipment: accuracy and precision, reliability, stability, environmental adaptability, device enclosures, compatibility, maintainability, fault tolerance, and usability and ease of use. These requirements matter because sensors, controllers, and field devices have to work in wet, variable, and often harsh operating conditions.

For buyers and engineers, this section is the basis for selecting hardware that can survive the farm environment, remain stable over time, and be maintained without excessive downtime. It also helps define what “good enough” means for device performance in day-to-day operations.

Application-level requirements in clause 6.3

Clause 6.3 focuses on the performance of applications and services: user terminal usability, timeliness and accuracy of data services, contextual awareness, missed alarm rate, false alarm rate, incorrect detection rate, association of monitored objects, big data correlation analysis, fault diagnosability, application maintainability, and open interface architecture for application systems. These requirements matter because software must not only display data, but also support correct decisions and reduce noise.

In practice, this section is useful for designing dashboards, analytics, alarm logic, and integration APIs. It also makes clear that application quality is measured in operational terms such as alarm quality, diagnosability, and maintainability, not only by whether the software runs.

Advanced technologies discussed in the overview

Clause 5.1 discusses potential applicability of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), advanced data analytics, digital twin, edge computing, cloud storage, blockchain, and predictive maintenance. ISO/IEC 30199:2026 presents these as technologies that may support smart aquaculture operations, while not turning them into separate detailed requirements in the standard.

What terms does ISO/IEC 30199:2026 define?

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 defines the core vocabulary needed to read the architecture and requirements correctly.

  • Aquafarm - an aquaculture farm that covers outdoor aquaculture systems, outdoor artificial pond systems, outdoor facility-based recirculating systems, and indoor facility-based recirculating systems.
  • Virtual actor (VA) - a digital entity that uses collected data to make a decision and then carries out virtual or physical actions linked to that decision.
  • User - a person who operates a digital platform or accesses a device to monitor and control a system, provide a service, or receive a service through an interface.
  • External user (ExU) - a user in the external domain.
  • Smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture (SONA-RA) - the end-to-end reference architecture used by the standard for connected onshore aquaculture.
  • Operations and management (O&M) - the operational and managerial activities that the architecture supports, including monitoring, control, scheduling, and maintenance.
  • Sensing and controlling domain (SCD) - the domain that handles sensor data, control actions, and related processing in the architecture.
  • Resource access and interchange domain (RAID) - the domain used for controlled access to resources and data exchange with external organizations.

Who uses ISO/IEC 30199:2026?

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is used by aquaculture operators, operations and management staff, system architects, IoT platform developers, automation engineers, device suppliers, and integrators. It is also relevant to cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance teams because the standard treats several interfaces and data flows as security-sensitive.

It is also useful to buyers and planners who need to define requirements for smart aquafarm systems, dashboards, sensors, control systems, and external-facing sales or logistics platforms. External organizational users such as contract buyers, logistics companies, suppliers, end-users, and consumers are part of the architecture described by the standard.

Which standards are used with ISO/IEC 30199:2026?

The bibliography names these standards as relevant companions:

  • ISO/IEC 30141:2024 - provides the IoT reference architecture model that the SONA-RA builds on.
  • ISO/IEC 27001 - provides the information security management systems framework relevant to security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection.
  • IEC 60068-2-14:2023 - supports environmental testing, especially change of temperature, which is relevant to device environmental adaptability.
  • IEC 60529 - provides the IP Code for degrees of protection provided by enclosures.
  • IEC 62740:2015 - provides root cause analysis, useful for diagnosing faults in devices and systems.

What does the ISO/IEC 30199:2026 document contain?

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 contains a high-level architecture figure, a detailed interface description table, domain and entity descriptions, and layered technical requirements for the system, device, and application levels. Clause 5 lays out the architecture, domain roles, and information flows between user, physical entity, sensing and control, application, operations, resource access, and external domains.

The document also includes a detailed set of interface cases such as control, monitoring, maintenance, emergency response, sales, logistics, and by-product handling. A sensor parameter table near the end gives examples of sensor types, the measurements they relate to, and the kinds of operational actions they support, which helps with design and monitoring decisions.

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ISO/IEC 30199:2026 - Internet of Things (IoT) - Smart onshore aquaculture - General and technical requirements

ISBN:978-2-8327-1586-4
Release Date:06-Nov-2026
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Frequently Asked Questions

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is a standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Its full title is "Internet of Things (IoT) - Smart onshore aquaculture - General and technical requirements". This standard covers: ISO/IEC 30199:2026 establishes an end-to-end system reference architecture (RA) for Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart onshore aquaculture (SONA) and specifies general requirements and technical requirements for the smart onshore aquaculture systems and their operations and management.

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 establishes an end-to-end system reference architecture (RA) for Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart onshore aquaculture (SONA) and specifies general requirements and technical requirements for the smart onshore aquaculture systems and their operations and management.

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 35.020 - Information technology (IT) in general; 35.240.68 - IT applications in agriculture. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

ISO/IEC 30199:2026 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


ISO/IEC 30199
Edition 1.0 2026-11
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Internet of Things (IoT) - Smart onshore aquaculture - General and technical
requirements
ICS 35.020; 35.240.68  ISBN 978-2-8327-1586-4

ISO/IEC 30199: 2026-11 (en)
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Abbreviated terms . 7
5 Smart onshore aquaculture overview and system reference architecture . 8
5.1 Overview . 8
5.2 End-to-end smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture . 10
5.3 Interface description . 11
5.4 SONA-RA domain and entity description . 12
5.4.1 User domain . 12
5.4.2 Physical entity domain . 14
5.4.3 Sensing and controlling domain . 15
5.4.4 Application and service domain . 18
5.4.5 Operations and management domain . 20
5.4.6 Resource access and interchange domain . 22
5.4.7 External domain . 23
6 General and technical requirements . 24
6.1 System-level technical requirements . 24
6.1.1 Data acquisition . 24
6.1.2 Data transmission. 25
6.1.3 Data processing . 26
6.1.4 Data management . 27
6.1.5 Service publishing . 27
6.1.6 Control execution . 28
6.1.7 Information sharing . 29
6.1.8 Device management . 30
6.1.9 User management . 31
6.1.10 Security . 32
6.1.11 Real-time . 33
6.1.12 Robustness . 34
6.1.13 Scalability . 35
6.1.14 Compliance with regulations . 35
6.2 Device and equipment-level technical requirements . 36
6.2.1 Accuracy and precision of smart devices . 36
6.2.2 Reliability . 37
6.2.3 Stability . 38
6.2.4 Environmental adaptability . 39
6.2.5 Device enclosures . 39
6.2.6 Compatibility . 40
6.2.7 Maintainability . 40
6.2.8 Fault tolerance . 41
6.2.9 Usability and ease of use . 42
6.3 Application-level technical requirements . 43
6.3.1 User terminal usability . 43
6.3.2 Timeliness of data services . 43
6.3.3 Accuracy in data services . 44
6.3.4 Contextual awareness. 44
6.3.5 Missed alarm (false negative) rate. 46
6.3.6 False alarm (false positive) rate . 46
6.3.7 Incorrect detection rate . 47
6.3.8 Association of monitored objects . 47
6.3.9 Big data correlation analysis . 48
6.3.10 Fault diagnosability. 48
6.3.11 Application maintainability . 49
6.3.12 Open interface architecture for application systems . 50
Annex A (informative) High-level abstraction from sensor data . 51
Bibliography . 52

Figure 1 – High-level system reference architecture for smart onshore aquaculture . 9
Figure 2 – Mapping of TP, FP, FN, and TN for 6.3.5 and 6.3.6. . 45

Table 1 – High-level interface description between Domain 1 (D1) and Domain 2 (D2) in the SONA-RA,
with interface number (IF#) in Figure 1 . 11
Table 2 – Description of entities in the user domain (UD) . 13
Table 3 – Description of entities in the physical entity domain (PED) . 14
Table 4 – Description of entities in the sensing and controlling domain (SCD) . 17
Table 5 – Description of entities in the application and service domain (ASD) . 19
Table 6 – Description of entities in the operation and management domain (OMD) . 21
Table 7 – Description of entities in the resource access and interchange domain (RAID) . 22
Table 8 – Description of entities in the external domain (ExD) . 24
Table 9 – Requirements and recommendations for data acquisition . 24
Table 10 – Requirements and recommendations for data transmission . 25
Table 11 – Requirements and recommendations for data processing. 26
Table 12 – Requirements and recommendations for data management. 27
Table 13 – Requirements and recommendations for service publishing. 28
Table 14 – Requirements and recommendations for control execution . 29
Table 15 – Requirements and recommendations for information sharing . 30
Table 16 – Requirements and recommendations for device management. 30
Table 17 – Requirements and recommendations for user management. 31
Table 18 – Requirements and recommendations for security . 32
Table 19 – Requirements and recommendations for real-time . 33
Table 20 – Requirements and recommendations for robustness . 34
Table 21 – Requirements and recommendations for scalability . 35
Table 22 – Requirements and recommendations for compliance with regulations. 36
Table 23 – Requirements and recommendations for accuracy and precision . 37
Table 24 – Requirements and recommendations for reliability . 37
Table 25 – Requirements and recommendations for stability . 38
Table 26 – Requirements and recommendations for environment adaptability . 39
Table 27 – Requirements and recommendations for device enclosures . 39
Table 28 – Requirements and recommendations for compatibility . 40
Table 29 – Requirements and recommendations for maintainability . 41
Table 30 – Requirements and recommendations for fault tolerance . 41
Table 31 – Requirements and recommendations for usability and ease of use . 42
Table 32 – Requirements and recommendations for user terminal usability . 43
Table 33 – Requirements and recommendations for timeliness of data services . 43
Table 34 – Requirements and recommendations for accuracy of data services . 44
Table 35 – Requirements for contextual awareness . 44
Table 36 – Requirements and recommendations to prevent missed alarms . 46
Table 37 – Requirements and recommendations to prevent false alarms . 46
Table 38 – Requirements and recommendations for incorrect detection rate . 47
Table 39 – Requirements and recommendations for association of monitored objects . 48
Table 40 – Requirements and recommendations for big data correlation analysis . 48
Table 41 – Requirements and recommendations for fault diagnosability . 49
Table 42 – Requirements and recommendations for application maintainability . 49
Table 43 – Requirements and recommendations for application interface openness. 50
Table A.1 – High-level abstraction of sensor data with suggested threshold values for fish farming . 51

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Internet of Things (IoT) - Smart onshore aquaculture - General and technical
requirements
FOREWORD
1) ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the
specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development
of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields
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responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 30199 has been prepared by subcommittee 41: Internet of Things and Digital Twin, of ISO/IEC
joint technical committee 1: Information technology. It is an International Standard
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
JTC1-SC41/568/CDV JTC1-SC41/625/RVC
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in the above
table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in accordance
with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, JTC1 Supplement, available at
www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are described in
greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
INTRODUCTION
Aquaculture (also known as aquafarming) is both the cultivation of underwater plants, and the breeding,
rearing and harvesting of fish, shellfish and other underwater organisms in a controlled environment. The
practice of aquaculture can both fulfil future food needs and sustain natural resources. [1]
Aquatic animal products (fish, shellfish, etc.) are important sources of high-quality protein for people's daily
life, and have important nutritional and health values, along with farm animals, i.e. livestock. In addition to
ocean and freshwater fishing, onshore aquaculture is the main way to provide aquatic animal products.
Outdoor fish ponds, open-air recirculating aquaculture systems, factory recirculating aquaculture systems,
etc. are the facilities for aquaculture.
Aquaculture markets can be classified by rearing product types (i.e. equipment, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals), by culture (i.e. fresh water, brackish water, marine water), by species (i.e. aquatic plants,
aquatic animals), by production types (i.e. small scale, medium scale, large scale), and by region (i.e. North
America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa).
The aquaculture global market is rapidly growing. In 2022, global aquaculture market was valued at
US$289,6 billion and is projected to reach a value of US$421,2 billion by 2030 at a CAGR (Compound
Annual Growth Rate) of 5,5 % over the forecast period 2023 to 2030 [2]. The global fish farming market
size was valued at US$268,90 billion in 2021, envisioned to reach US$409,56 billion by 2030 growing at a
CAGR of 5,4 % [3]. The rapidly growing aquaculture market will cause regulatory challenges, resulting in
– increased risk of the industry becoming unregulated,
– falling short of stakeholder expectations because of lack of aquaculture legislation and regulations, and
– negative impacts on the environment and society [4].
In order to mitigate or minimize these risks, the aquaculture market needs well-designed legislation and
proper regulations – which come with investment costs – to benefit aquaculture industries and create a
level playing field among business actors [4]. And proper and beneficial regulations must be based on well-
established and industry-accepted standards [4].
Unlike other industrial sectors (medical, manufacturing, transportation, etc.), the aquaculture industry has
been lagging in adopting technologies (Internet of Things, sensor and control networks, sensing, data
science and analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.) for operations and management of
aquaculture factories and systems. It is the intention of this document to spur and support the adoption of
such technologies for secure and automated aquafarming operations and management by the well-
established and industry-accepted standards. Furthermore, this document focuses on the transformation of
the onshore farming of aquatic animals (e.g. fishes, shrimp, etc.) to become smart by applying the
technologies available today and creating beneficial services for tomorrow by establishing the roadmap to
smart aquaculture.
The current onshore aquaculture approaches lack standardized solutions and smart services for
aquaculture operations and management (O&M) including, but not limited to, water quality monitoring,
environment and weather monitoring, facility and equipment monitoring, disease prevention, operational
predictability, logistics and supply chain. As a result, the risks in achieving highly efficient aquaculture O&M
are high because of difficulties in standardizing aquatic products, inefficiency of manual management and
production, deficiency in food safety and security in logistics and supply chain, unintended tardiness in
marketing and sales, etc. Implementing a smart aquaculture system using the Internet of Things, data
analytics and other supporting technologies will provide the best mitigation for these risks associated with
onshore aquaculture. The smart aquaculture system brings the following benefits:
a) accurate and continuous monitoring of water quality, which includes dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH
level, ammonia, nitrogen, salinity, etc., to ensure maintaining healthy water quality to create an aquatic
environment where aquatic animals can thrive;
b) intelligent monitoring of the aquaculture system, equipment and facilities, surrounding environment and
weather not only to ensure normal and stable operations but also to adapt any changes to them and
water quality in a timely manner, avoiding any damage to physical assets and aquatic animals;
c) realization of an intelligent management of daily feeding, maintaining an optimal nutrient level,
improving feed utilization rate and feed recordkeeping;
d) behaviour monitoring of aquatic animals, preventing large-scale outbreaks of diseases in advance and
reducing mortality;
e) seamless supply chain and expedited logistics, beginning from the quality and safety inspection of
aquatic products to the delivery to customers, reducing the stress loss in the transportation process and
guaranteeing the food safety;
f) continuous improvement of the standardized aquaculture operations and management process through
artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, and other emerging technologies.
The following general characteristics for the smart onshore aquaculture system are the first to address and
achieve:
g) reference or common system architecture for smart onshore aquaculture systems to promote the
adaptation of IoT enabling smart services to aquaculture industry and business;
h) interoperability among smart aquaculture devices and equipment from different manufacturers by
standardized interfaces;
i) accurate analytics and data mining starting from data acquisition, data formation via formatting
standards, error-free data transmission, data processing and storage;
j) intelligent management and control for aquaculture operations and processes supported by a large
number of smart applications and services.
Aquaculture includes both the cultivation of underwater plants, and the breeding, rearing and harvesting of
underwater fish, shellfish and other living organisms. The practice of aquaculture can both fulfil future food
needs and sustain natural resources. Aquaponics is a combination of fish and plant production and
hydroponics (growing plants without soil). [1]
This document focuses on the aquaculture of fish and other underwater living animals or organisms mainly
because the market size of fish farming is so much greater than that of underwater plant farming, as
indicated above in this Introduction. Yet, the fish aquaculture reference architecture and requirements for
rearing environment and systems can readily be adopted for underwater plant farming.
1 Scope
This document establishes an end-to-end system reference architecture (RA) for Internet of Things (IoT)-
based smart onshore aquaculture (SONA) and specifies general requirements and technical requirements
for the smart onshore aquaculture systems and their operations and management.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
aquafarm
aquaculture farm that collectively represents outdoor aquaculture systems, outdoor artificial pond
aquaculture systems, outdoor facility-based recirculating aquaculture systems, and indoor facility-based
recirculating aquaculture systems
3.2
virtual actor
VA
digital entity that performs an a posteriori decision-making process based on empirical evidence or
outcomes via analyses of the collected data, and that executes virtual or physical actions or both by linking
decisions to corresponding actions within an operational or management system
3.3
user
person who operates a digital platform or accesses a virtual or physical device to monitor and control a
system, to provide a service, or to receive a service via an interface
3.4
external user
ExU
user in the external domain
4 Abbreviated terms
AEO approved external organization
AI/ML artificial intelligence and machine learning
API application programming interface
ASD application and service domain
BP by-product
DAS data acquisition system
EOU external organizational user
ExD external domain
ExU external user
GDPR General Data Protection Regulation
HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
HMI human–machine interface
IF interface
IF-RAS indoor factory-based recirculating aquaculture system
IoT Internet of Things
NTU nephelometric turbidity unit
O&M operations and management
OF-RAS outdoor facility-based recirculating aquaculture system
OM-PAS outdoor artificial pond aquaculture system
OMD operations and management domain
ON-PAS outdoor natural pond aquaculture system
PED physical entity domain
RA reference architecture
RAID resource access and interchange domain
RAS recirculating aquaculture system
RFID radio-frequency identification
SA situational awareness
SCADA supervisory control and data acquisition
SCD sensing and controlling domain
SmAq smart aquaculture
SONA smart onshore aquaculture
SONA-RA smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture
SW software
TLS transport layer security
UD user domain
UE user equipment
UI user interface
5 Smart onshore aquaculture overview and system reference architecture
5.1 Overview
This document specifies an end-to-end high-level system reference architecture (RA) for smart onshore
aquaculture (SONA) in its entirety – from breeding, releasing fries to rearing environment (e.g. onshore or
land-based aquaculture systems), harvesting, by-product recycling and productization processing,
marketing and sales, shipping logistics, supply chain, to end-users and consumers.
Broadly, onshore aquaculture systems can be categorized into four types:
– outdoor natural pond aquaculture system (ON-PAS);
– outdoor artificial pond aquaculture system (OM-PAS);
– outdoor facility-based recirculating aquaculture system (OF-RAS);
– indoor factory-based recirculating aquaculture system (IF-RAS).
This smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture (SONA-RA), shown in Figure 1, can be applied and
adapted not only by the various types of onshore aquaculture systems, but also by smart offshore
aquaculture with appropriate modifications.
SOURCE: Choe H., Smart Fish Farming and Recommended Areas [4]. Reproduced with permission from
the author.
Figure 1 – High-level system reference architecture for smart onshore aquaculture
The SONA-RA is described by the following six domains specified in ISO/IEC 30141:2024 [5] :
– user domain (UD);
– physical entity domain (PED);
– sensing and controlling domain (SCD);
– applications and service domain (ASD);
– operations and management domain (OMD);
– resource access and interchange domain (RAID).
In addition to the six domains, one domain is added for SONA-RA:
– external domain (ExD).
The ExD has external users (contract buyers, logistics companies, suppliers, end-users, consumers, etc.)
and platforms for marketing and sales, supply chain (e.g. shipping, transportation), etc. It is essential to
show the end-to-end aquaculture from technology and business perspectives to benefit the stakeholders of
onshore aquaculture businesses.
In addition to the SONA-RA, general and technical requirements associated with SONA are specified in this
document that can transform the traditional aquaculture and its business to smart and intelligent operations
and management (O&M). Such transformation will impact:
– development of smart aquaculture (SmAq) platform, e.g. fish farming platform;
– wired and wireless network composition and configuration;
– network connectivity;
– network cybersecurity;
– facility physical security;
– data and information privacy and protection;
– food security;
– safety (for both human operators and aquaculture products, e.g. fish);
– O&M control and automation;
– effective and increased quality control;
– power continuity;
– usage of alternative (e.g. centralized or hybrid) or distributed energy resources;
– energy efficiency over a lifecycle (i.e. a fish farming period of a species);
– development of aquafarm's surrounding real estate.
This document addresses and encourages the insertion of advanced technology for aquaculture end-to-end
O&M. Although specific requirements or specifications for these advanced technologies are not addressed
in this document, their potential applicability in aquaculture is discussed to benefit the stakeholders. These
advanced technologies include, but are not limited to,
– artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML),
– advanced data analytics,
– digital twin,
– edge computing,
– cloud storage,
– blockchain, and
– predictive maintenance.
5.2 End-to-end smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture
The end-to-end smart onshore aquaculture reference architecture (SONA-RA), as shown in Figure 1, can
be adopted or modified and implemented for the aquaculture O&M of ON-PAS, OM-PAS, OF-RAS and IF-
RAS. The SONA-RA integrates numerous technologies, especially Internet of Things (IoT) for aquaculture
O&M automation. The SONA-RA shall provide aquafarm situation awareness (SA) by sensing, analysing,
monitoring and, in some situations, controlling networked entities via user equipment in the user domain by
the O&M users for full automation of aquafarm O&M. However, for the SONA-RA for a certain type of
aquafarm (e.g. small aquafarm business run by a single family), the full O&M automation is possibly not
needed.
Depending on the aquafarm's operation scale, the SA monitoring dashboard should support the O&M's SA
reporting via devices such as smartphone, tablet, desktop computer or laptop computer. These devices are
user equipment (UE) which shall provide a user interface (UI) along with the SA monitoring dashboard. An
integrated unit consists of UE, UI, SA monitoring dashboard and O&M supporting software (SW) is a
human–machine interface (HMI). Through the HMI, the users (i.e. human operators and managers) shall
receive warning and notification messages about aquafarm conditions. These messages should remain on
the dashboard until resolved. Authorized O&M users shall be able to resolve the messages requiring an
action or actions through the UI, and then the authorized user can clear the messages. The messages and
the corresponding resolution taken shall be recorded in the O&M event log book. Certain messages are
notifications of the actions taken by automation, which is called a resolution by a virtual actor. The SA
monitoring dashboard and UI together will provide monitoring and controlling capabilities similar to a
supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for aquaculture.
The SONA-RA in Figure 1 provides aquaculture products' sales through contracts and online sales platform,
logistics and supply chain to consumers (e.g. individuals, families) and end-users (e.g. markets,
restaurants). Marketing and sales domain and supply chain domain inclusive of transportation are described
along with the six domains represented in the SONA-RA.

5.3 Interface description
Interfaces of an IoT-based SONA system are shown in Figure 1, and the interface descriptions from the
perspective of information flow are described in Table 1. All interfaces in aquaculture, as outlined in Table
1, shall implement secure data and information transmission protocols, as they involve the exchange of
operationally important and, in some cases, critical data, including confidential and private information
related to external customers. In particular, interfaces UD-SCD (IF12 in Table 1) and SCD-OMD (IF8 in
Table 1) represent critical cyberattack surfaces and shall be protected against cyber threats. Therefore,
secure transmission mechanisms shall be implemented for IF8 and IF12.
Table 1 – High-level interface description between Domain 1 (D1) and Domain 2 (D2) in the SONA-
RA, with interface number (IF#) in Figure 1
D1 D2 IF# Interface description
– D1 to D2: Automated or manual command and control for reconfiguring sensors and actuators,
UD PED IF11
including firmware updates, and also recalibration of sensors and actuators at a pre-set time
interval to prevent sensors and actuators from drifting.
– D2 to D1: Direct communication from the PED to the UD, bypassing the SCD, is permitted under
the following situations: (1) when the UD initiates direct requests for PED devices' data or status
information of sensors and actuators; and (2) in emergency situation, where predefined
threshold conditions in sensors or actuators are met, triggering an automatic emergency
response or command execution.
– D1 to D2: Sensors and controller SW and API configurations and updates, aquaculture
UD SCD IF12
environment monitoring configuration, automated or manual command and control via the SCD,
etc.
– D2 to D1: Information about the aquafarm organism and environment (i.e. all sensor data,
locally processed sensor data; refer to Annex A for aquaculture sensor types and their
parameters), status of all actuators that control the systems in the aquaculture facility, warning
or report of any abnormality detected or identified, sensor or actuator not responding to
commands sent from the UD, sensor and actuator status (battery replacement, sensor or
actuator malfunction, etc.), regular interval (e.g. daily) pinging to sensors and actuators for their
responses for their condition monitoring, etc.
– D1 to D2: System operation scheduling or reconfiguration, system maintenance scheduling,
UD OMD IF6
workforce assignment and scheduling, etc.
– D2 to D1: Operational status of aquafarm systems and devices, predictive and condition-based
and scheduled maintenance alarms, abnormal operation warnings, notification for automated
emergency command and control for aquafarm systems.
– D1 to D2: Application and service SW and API configurations and updates, new application or
UD ASD IF3
service introduction, invocation of applications or services.
– D2 to D1: Information and usage of application and services accessed by the entities in the
OMD, information and usage of application and services in the entities and accessed by
external organizations in the RAID, logging of data used and produced by applications and
services.
– D1 to D2: Responses (decisions, approvals, etc.) to AEO requests, financial transactions,
UD RAID IF7
supplier management, issuance of contracts or invoices, outgoing payments, etc.
– D2 to D1: AEO requests for various types of data, incoming invoices, incoming payments, etc.
– D1 to D2: Information and data (aquatic products and by-products, pricing information, delivery
UD ExD IF10
options, etc.) to the contract sales platform and the aquatic product sales platform, approved
logistics and transportation organizations accessed by the platforms.
– D2 to D1: Platform sales information, aquatic items sold (for inventory control - data sent to the
O&M), total sales amount, customer information (e.g. geolocation), etc. Because of the
presence of potentially sensitive customer data within the sales information (e.g. credit card
details, bank account information, email addresses), the sales information shall not be
transmitted back to external users (ExUs), in order to ensure data security and privacy.
Additionally, the sales data can be considered proprietary information of the aquaculture
organization. Therefore, the sales information shall remain under the control of the organization
and shall not be made accessible to ExUs. Furthermore, ExUs shall not have access to UD
assets, such as UE and UI.
– D1 to D2: Data and information from all sensors, actuators, ID readers (RFID, QR and barcode),
PED SCD IF1
controllers in aquaculture systems, all manual collection data (via entry to handheld devices),
external data and information (e.g. weather forecast), etc.
– D2 to D1: Periodic (e.g. per day) pinging signals to check sensors and actuators status, sensing
and control command and control (automated and from the UD), sensor and controller
parameter (re)setting and reconfiguration, firmware updates, etc.
D1 D2 IF# Interface description
– D1 to D2: Information generated by processing (aggregation, fusion, integration, trending,
SCD OMD IF8
predictions, etc.) sensors and controllers (actuators) data, pre-warning and warnings, sensor
and actuator status, etc.
– D2 to D1: Command and control for reconfiguring monitoring systems, on-demand real-time
data access, aquaculture environment monitoring configuration, automated or manual
command and control via the SCD, etc.
– D1 to D2: Information generated by processing (aggregation, fusion, integration, trending,
SCD ASD IF2
predictions, etc.) sensors and controllers (actuators) data, pre-warning and warnings, sensor
and actuator status, etc.
– D2 to D1: Request to obtain certain SCD data to perform application or provide service requests
from UD, OMD, or RAID with data access authorization and privilege (e.g. access levels) for
each request.
– D1 to D2: Data that satisfy an authorization and access level from the request of AEO via the
SCD RAID IF9
RAID.
– D2 to D1: AEO's data and information requests entered in the RAID's access-controlled user
interface.
– D1 to D2: O&M related application and service requests.
OMD ASD IF5
– D2 to D1: Notification of O&M requests completion with associated data logging or non-
completion of the requests with the reason or issues why it was not completed.
– D1 to D2: Accept and reject of AEO request from the RAID and reasons if rejected. O&M related
OMD RAID IF13
data for each AEO's request through the RAID.
– D2 to D1: AEO's requests of O&M data with authorization and data access level.
– D1 to D2: Execution of application or service requested by AEOs through the RAID. Data
ASD RAID IF4
generated or transaction completed notification (acknowledgement, receipts, invoices, etc.).
– D2 to D1: Application or service requests by AEOs through the RAID with AEO authorization
and access levels for ASD's applications and services.
– D1 to D2: Various types of data, information, financial transactions, etc. from UD, SCD, OMD,
RAID AEO IF14
or ASD per the nature of AEO requests when AEO's authorization and access privilege are
verified.
– D2 to D1: Various types of AEO requests entered through the RAID's AEO user interface.
– D1 to D2: This interface is only present when aquaculture by-product processing is in operation.
PED BP BP1
Physical by-products generated from the PED – such as uneaten feed and fish manure – are
transported to the by-product processing facility, where they are converted into organic
fertilizer. The resulting fertilizers can either be sold to external users utilized for cultivating
crops (e.g. vegetables) in areas surrounding the aquafarm .
– D2 to D1: This interface is not required.
– D1 to D2: This interface is only required when aquac
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